Item 05: Letter from Walter Elkington, 2 February 1919 - Page 9

[Page 9]

[Printed YMCA letter head]
[Date appears to read 13/7/1917, but this does not accord with his leave dates in his service records]
Sgt W H Everington 4106
C Coy 20th Battalion
A.I.E.F
Dear Auntie Evie,
Thank you for your last letter which I received recently & which I must confess I have been rather slow in answering. At present I am on my way back to France after having spent a very enjoyable ten days in Old England. I came straight across from Bapaume where we had been in reserve after our smash up at Bullecourt, & stayed the night at Boulogne where we went into a place called [Vidors?] Billets. Next morning we embarked on packet steamers & raced across to Folkstone under escort. Finally I found myself at Victoria Rystn [Railway Station] & were marched to Horseferry Road (our head quarters) & received my pay & dumped my equipment & rifle etc. I then decided to look up my uncle George & received a most dramatic welcome from them. I stayed there for about four days altogether & saw the sights with Uncle George & Auntie Clara & Emily which I must confess bored me to death as I felt more